Stair construction



Feb. 16 1926.

5. DE COLA ET AL STAIR CONSTRUCTION Filed April 25, 1925 Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

ourrsn STATES rsvaan PATENT OFFICE.

SALVATORE DE com. AND VEBNE E. cnrrr, on san Jose, CALIFORNIA.

STAIR CONSTRUCTION Application filed April 25, 1925. Serial No. 25,839

To uZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SALVATORE Dr. Conn and VERNE Curr, citizens of the United States, and residents of San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stair Construction, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates particularly to a new and novel form of element for use in the construction of steps and stairs having a concrete base. I

It is one object of the invention to provide an economical method of building a concrete base stair.

It is another object of the invention to provide a simple element that may be combined with other duplicate elements to'form a step of desired width and one so formed and proportioned as to permit its use in the construction of steps of varying rise and tread. I

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a flight of steps constructed 1n accordance with our invention.

Figure ure 1.

Figure 3 is a section of a portion of a flight of steps showing the invention as applied to a flight of steps at a different pitch from that of the flight shown in Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, at 1 we show one of the step elements referred to and which has the following characteristics. It comprises a slab of any suitable material such as brick, and is preferably in the form of an irregular pentagon. It has a tread surface 2, a nosing 3 and a front surface 4 which, together with the nosing 3 provides the required rise. The riser and tread are arranged at right angles to each other.

At 5 and 6 are short edges lying at right angles to tread 2 and riser a respectively, these edges being joined by a bottom edge 7 which, therefore, necessarily lies at an acute angle to tread surface 2.

These elements 1 are comparatively narrow as indicated at 8, and the edges 5 and 6 are preferably equal in length, thereby making the angle of edge 7 bear a proper relation to tread 2 and riser i and the pitch of the stairs. Since the riser and tread of a step bear a comparat vely fixed relation 2 is a section on line 2-2, Figl to each other, and the dimensions vary but little in general stair building, we have found thatv by providing elements constructed as above set forth any desired variation in tread and riser can be secured by bedding the elements of eachstep in cement mortar in desired relation to, the preceding step.

For instance, in Figure 2 we show the earth foundation brought to a desired general grade at 8 and a suitable thickness of concrete laid thereon as at 9. When this foundation is laid the steps are built thereon by imbedding a plurality of elements 1 in cement mortar 10.

In Figure 2 a certain riser and tread is secured by arranging the riser 4 of one step in vertical alignment with edge 5 of the next lower step and spaced slightly thereabove to show the joint 11, the mortar joints also showing between the several elements as .at 12. y

In this stair the treads are, of course, horizontal, the pitch of-the stairs causing the edge? of each element 1 to lie at an acute angle to the surface of the concrete foundation 9. v

If, now, similar elements are used to build a stair in which the concrete foundation lies at a flatter pitch than that shown in Figure .2 and as shown in Figure 3, with lower riser and longer tread, then the edges at of one row of elements 1 are dropped somewhat to the rear of and below the tread 2 of the preceding step as indicated at 13.

In this manner stairs of any desired pitch may be built with identical elements, simply by changing the positions of the elements of one step relative to the elements of the adjoining step. The flat foundation and the bevelled bottom edges 7 of the elements cooperate to permit adjustments to secure the desired results.

It is to be understood, of course, that while we have herein shown and described but one specific embodiment of our invention, changes in form and construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

1.. A step element comprising an irregular polygonal slab of suitable material having two of its sides lying at right angles to each other to form a riser and tread, and having a third side having a portion arranged at an acute angle to said tread side and converging toward the end of said tread remote from the side forming the riser and a portion arranged at rightangles to the riser and connected therewith.

2. A step element comprising an irregular pentagonal slab of suitable material having two sides of the slab lying at right angles to each other to form the tread and riser of the step element and another side extending at right anglesto the riser at the edge opposite to the tread andrthence in angular relation to the tread approaching the same at the end remote from said side forming the riser and a fourth side connecting the last mentioned side and the tread and lying at right angles to'the tread.

3. A stairway comprising a concrete base and a series of steps mounted thereon to form an integral part thereof, each step comprising a plurality of aligned stepeleinents separated by and imbedded in hardened plastic material laid on said concrete base, each 7 element consisting of an irregular polygonal slab of suitable material having two of its sides lying at right angles to each other to form a riser and tread, and having a third side conneccin the tread and riser; that portion adjacent to the riser being at substantiallyright angles thereto and the reuniining portion converging toward the end of said tread remote from the side foriring the riser.

SALVATORE DE COLA. VERNE E. CLIFT. 

